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giovedì 15 marzo 2012

Petizione per Marvin Richard gay ugandese

Kyengera, 11 Marzo 2012

Dear EveryOne Group, I am writing to you about the young Ugandan gay activist Marvin Richard Kalanzi. I work in Uganda in contact with humanitarian organizations and I know very well the plight of gays in this country. Unfortunately, homophobia is a serious problem at all levels. If Parliament continues to propose a law that criminalizes homosexuality, even the common people is full of prejudices and hatred against gays and lesbians. I will confirm that in Uganda it is impossible to live the homosexuality in public and just a rumor is enough because a person is suffering discrimination and violence. The episodes of intolerance and violence against gay people are numerosus, even if the victims do not make complaints, because even the authorities don't protect the LGBT persons. That's why I add my testimony to the repost of EveryOne Group and the Movement for Justice, and launch a desperate appeal to the Dutch government, the EU and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Do not deport Marvin to Uganda, because in this country he would suffer severe institutional persecution and risk his life.

Sincerely, Morena La Rosa, human rights activist

Hajji Katende

Kyengera, Uganda

Appeal to the Netherlands and the EU: Save the gay refugee Marvin Richard Kalanzi

Amsterdam/Rome, March 9, 2012. Both male and female homosexual activity is illegal in Uganda. The persecuted homosexual communities already face heavy fines and lengthy jail sentences. Discrimination against homosexuals is a massive issue in Uganda, where a new bill has been introduced by Parliament, providing for harsher penalties for homosexuals, including the death penalty for "repeat offenders".

90% of Ugandans said that homosexuality should be rejected by society.Numerous serious events of violent repression against gays and lesbians are still taking place in the country. With this premise, EveryOne Group is supporting the campaign to save Marvin Richard Kalanzi from deportation back to Uganda from the Netherlands. This is, for both the Netherlands and the EU, a great challenge of civilization and respect for human dignity.

The Netherlands is known as one of the foremost countries in the World for recognising and protecting the rights of LGBT people. However, behind closed doors, the Human Rights of gay men and Lesbians are being abused by the Dutch authorities, who are deporting Gay and Lesbian asylum seekers back to countries where their sexuality is not accepted and where they face torture, imprisonment, forced marriage and death at the hands of anti-gay mobs.
Kalanzi M. Richard Lived openly and proudly as a gay man in Uganda, despite the abuse and threats he faced. His sexuality was a common knowledge in his country and anti-gay bigots campaigned for his arrest. As a result he was imprisoned, beaten and tortured.

Kalanzi fled Uganda and came to the Netherlands early in 2011 and applied for asylum upon his arrival. The Dutch IND (immigration authorities) acknowledged his sexuality as a gay man from Uganda, but but they disputed how he got to the Netherlands, hence his asylum was refused. Kalanzi was forcefully requested to sign a letter agreeing to his deportation letter, which he refused to do. He was taken to Rotterdam Prison on 28th June 2011 and until today he doesn’t know when he will ever be released.

In Uganda there is a particularly toxic climate for LGBT people. The Parliament has brought back the Anti-Gay Bill back in the house, and this time they are more than willing to pass it. This legislation would sentence LGBT people to life imprisonment or execution, and violence toward LGBT people is rampant in the country. Despite this the IND is still trying to Marvin Kalanzi back to Uganda. The IND often come to the prison to ask him to sign the deportation letter, but he has continuously refused and he was assured on the last occasion that if he doesn’t sign the papers he was going to rot in the prison.
We cannot let this happen to Kalanzi. LGBT asylum seekers like Kalanzi must have the right to live openly and in safety; this is basic Human Right. Many people like Kalanzi are stuck in Dutch prisons as though they committed crimes: escaping from persecution is not a crime. Kalanzi must be free to live and love as who he is.